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Actor Robin Williams found dead in apparent suicide

Actor Robin Williams was found dead Monday from an apparent suicide. In this photo, he poses for photographers during a photocall in Rome on Nov. 15, 2005.

(Reuters) - Oscar-winning actor and comedian Robin Williams was found dead on Monday from an apparent suicide at his home in Northern California, Marin County Sheriff's Office said. He was 63.

The sheriff's coroner's division said it suspects the death was a suicide due to asphyxia, but the cause of death is still under investigation.

"This morning, I lost my husband and my best friend, while the world lost one of its most beloved artists and beautiful human beings. I am utterly heartbroken," Williams's wife Susan Schneider said in a statement.

Williams, who won an Academy Award for his role as a fatherly therapist in 1997's "Good Will Hunting," had been suffering from severe depression recently, his publicist Mara Buxbaum said.

Williams, who introduced his frenetic style on late 1970s TV series "Mork & Mindy" and had struggled with addiction in the past, had entered a Minnesota rehabilitation center last month to help him maintain sobriety.

His representatives at the time said Williams was not using drugs or alcohol but had gone to the center to "fine-tune and focus" his sobriety after working a longer-than-usual schedule.

The Marin County Sheriff's office said it received an emergency call about noon local time on Monday, saying that Williams was unconscious and not breathing at his home near Tiburon, north of San Francisco.

Fellow comedic actor Steve Martin said in a tweet: "I could not be more stunned by the loss of Robin Williams, mensch, great talent, acting partner, genuine soul."

Williams leaves behind four completed films that are slated to hit theaters within the next 12 months, reports TheWrap.com.

Always game to entertain children, Williams reprised his role as Teddy Roosevelt in “Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb,” which he already wrapped shooting and Fox is set to release Dec. 19, allowing audiences to enjoy his comic gifts over the holidays.

Joe and Anthony Russo, who directed “Captain America: Winter Soldier,” directed “Christmas,” which was written by Phil Johnston, who worked as an assistant to writer-director Patrick Stettner on Williams’ 2006 movie “The Night Listener.”

Williams recently starred opposite Bob Odenkirk in Dito Montiel's drama “Boulevard,” which debuted earlier this year at the Tribeca Film Festival.

The “Aladdin” star also provided the voice of Dennis the Dog in “Absolutely Anything,” which features Simon Pegg and Kate Beckinsale in live-action roles, and is slated for release next year.

Williams had been attached to star opposite Oliver Cooper (“Project X”) in the indie movie “A Film By Alan Stuart Eisner,” though the film was not especially close to starting production.

Williams left behind an impressive body of work that proved he could excel doing both comedies and dramas. He won an Oscar for his supporting performance as Matt Damon‘s therapist in “Good Will Hunting,” and was previously nominated for “Good Morning, Vietnam,” “Dead Poets Society” and “The Fisher King.”